


Secrets (No One's Here To Sleep)

by FrozenHearts



Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Ambiguous/Open Ending, Barry Whump, Blood, Captain Singh finds out, Eiling is a dick, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Emotional Manipulation, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, Fake Science, Gen, Government, Government Conspiracy, Government Experimentation, Hostage Situations, Humiliation, Identity Reveal, Implied Sexual Content, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Implied/Referenced Suicide attempt, Implied/Referenced Torture, Injury, Kidnapping, Medical Experimentation, Medical Torture, Mentioned Bette Sans Souci - Freeform, Mentioned Kara Danvers, Mentioned Oliver Queen - Freeform, Military, Non-Consensual Drug Use, Poor Barry, Protective David Singh, Psychological Torture, Science Experiments, Secret Identity, Situational Humiliation, Speed Force, Verbal Humiliation, Whump, Why Did I Write This?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-09
Updated: 2016-11-09
Packaged: 2018-08-23 17:04:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,972
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8335519
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FrozenHearts/pseuds/FrozenHearts
Summary: David Singh never contemplated that Barry Allen, the annoying CSI upstairs, was important enough to garner the attention of General Eiling





	

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [The First Cut is the Deepest](https://archiveofourown.org/works/6960238) by [RedQ](https://archiveofourown.org/users/RedQ/pseuds/RedQ). 



> This fic will reference topics such as suicide and torture. If you are not comfortable with that, do not read this fic.

David Singh never expected to see anyone just run up to a crime scene, but such was life. It had a funny way of doing things, and sometimes good people got the short end of the stick. So when a man in camouflage gear ran up as Barry was bending down to examine a set of tire tracks, just running over and jamming something into his neck that caused the CSI to convulse, but failing to get him unconscious, he knew something was up.

The world was working, and Barry was getting the brunt of her rage.

It didn't help that there weren't any other officers around. He had taken Barry with him to sweep over the evidence and make sure nothing was contaminated; it should have been a quick, five-minute fix, but here he was, watching as this military grade man tasered Barry over and over, Barry trying to claw his way to safety, gasping for breath as his nails scratched the pavement and his legs flailed behind him.

For a minute, it was as if all his training at the police academy went out the window. Singh found himself absolutely dumbfounded until Barry gave a sharp cry, he heard the buzz of electricity in the weapon and Singh drew his gun, running towards them.

"CCPD!" he shouted, "CCPD! Get your hands in the air, where I can see them, now!"

The man ignored them, dropping to his knees and pinning Barry down by his throat. Singh fired a few shots, the weapon bucking in his hands as he watched them fly towards the assailant, only to see them bounce of whatever armor he was wearing. Barry struggled under him, hands uselessly clutching the others in an attempt to throw him off and get away. The soldier was relentless, digging the taser into Barry's neck, until Barry jerked and twisted underneath him like a fish out of water.

And then he stopped moving altogether, giving the soldier a chance to toss him over his shoulder like a sack of flour, and shove him into the back of their van.

Singh hadn't realized he ran at them- no, charged at them like a bull in a china shop, screaming the Miranda Rights at the top of his lungs as he tackled the soldier, tossing his gun aside and clenching a fist.

He should have known better. That he wasn't trained to take down military personnel, and that he should have called for backup. But what was he supposed to do? They would have taken hours to arrive, and he couldn't just let them drive off into the sunset, he couldn't let them take Barry. Joe would never have forgiven him if he did, but he made his mistake.

He felt the tingle of electricity just as another soldier sneaked up from behind, and the door to the van slammed just as he fell into the void.

\------

The floor was cold.

Singh shivered as he came to, his eyes bleary as he tried to gather his bearings. Blinking, he managed to get himself into a sitting position, surprised to find that he still had his weapon on his person. Good, that was good. Wherever he was, he'd be able to protect himself. The walls were a dark gray, the floor a pale tile that was sticky against his knees. Dark spots decorated the linoleum, and there was a wide window on the far side of the room.

"Crap..." Singh muttered, reaching up for an ache in his neck. The sting of the taser was still present, his neck throbbing with each breath he took. Chest heaving, Singh lifted his chin as the door creaked open, and a soldier stalked inside. A gun hung at his hip, and he was wearing a helmet similar to the one who kidnapped Barry- black and round, tinted visors to obscure the face.

Lifeless. Robotic.

"Where's Mr. Allen?" Singh demanded, surprising himself at the harshness of his tone.

"Nothing, for now," the soldier said monotonously, "as we'll do with you."

Nothing? For now? What was that supposed to mean? Where did these wackos take him? And where was Barry?! Curious, he lened forward to peer into the large window; he could see a meta table under a flickering light, casting shadows along puke green linoleum floors and gray-white walls. Narrowing his eyes, he counted what looked like six straps hanging from the edges, and he jumped as the door opened, allowing a gaggle of men in white coats to waltz in, obviously struggling with something.

He thought he could see a hand jut out at one of the men, only to be punished for their troubles. Singh winced, turning back to the soldier who simply cocked his head, crossing his arms. Singh really hoped that wasn't what he thought, that it wasn't a hand.

"You still didn't answer my question," Singh said, scared at how calm he sounded, "Where is my colleague?"

"Don't worry about Mr. Allen," the soldier cocked his head. The black helmet was dull in the light, "We figured he could use some company."

Singh shook his head, "You can stop this, you know. Kidnapping an officer of the law is a federal offense. If you let me go now, we can see about reducing a sentence. Maybe-"

The soldier scoffed, "General Eiling will waive any charges or troubles launched against us. You'll see that these experiments are for the good of humanity- your humanity. So I would just sit tight if I were you."

Experiments. Was that what the table was for? The men in lab coats had their backs to Singh and the window, obscuring whatever it was they were doing from him. Now he knew it was a person- a white male, possibly in his late or early twenties judging by the sound of his voice. Singh felt his heart pounding against his chest as he watched them pull at the straps, the man protesting loudly, painfully.

"Stop!" Singh yelled, "Tell them to stop, this isn't humane!"

The soldier shrugged, "The Flash should have learned that before he started playing hero."

Singh furrowed his brow, "The Flash? Is that what you want? Myself and Mr. Allen are not the Flash and we are in no way affiliated with him, you must know that!"

The soldier looked as if he were pondering Singh's words, the helmet making Singh sweat. Did he ever take it off? What was the point of it? Just as the creeping feeling of unease started to wear off the longer Singh looked at his own reflection, the soldier clicked his tongue. Outside, Singh heard the man yell for help, wincing as he saw one of the scientists demand something and thrust it into his neck.

"You may not have anything to do with the Flash, but now that he's here, we can use you as leverage," the soldier explained, "It's easier to work this way, make them cooperate."

Singh blinked, "And Barry?"

The soldier seemed surprised, leaning lazily against the wall, "The Flash won't be able to help you this time, you know."

No. No, he couldn't mean what Singh thought he meant. There was no way! None! he turned back to the window, the scientists moving just out of the way so Singh could see brown hair and pale skin, the black velcro straps tightened around wrists, ankles and across his neck. Singh grimaced as he continued to stare, the way the man struggled, pulling at the straps, arching up to be able to breathe to no avail. The scientists simply tightened the one around his neck until he was wheezing, eyes wide as they searched the ceiling frantically.

"That can't be him," Singh shook his head, "That... I know him, I know him-"

The soldier nodded, "Ah, yes. It seems you've figured it out. Our very own Barry Allen- who knew such a nobody could be the Flash?"

Singh couldn't believe it. He didn't want to believe it. Barry Allen was the Flash. Barry Allen was always late for work. Barry Allen always worked overtime if he struggled with a case, always managed to collect evidence just by looking at the scene before properly processing it. Barry Allen was the Flash and he was currently strapped down and trying to get away and get out.

"What are you doing? This is inhumane, Mr. Allen has rights!" Singh shot at the soldier, his hands twitching as he heard Barry break down into sobs.

The soldier sighed, "Barry gave up those rights when he became a Meta-Human. The Flash is a Meta-Human, and Meta-Humans are more than human. Barry Allen is the Flash. Do you think the Flash deserves rights? Even after breaking the law to save your city?"

Singh grit his teeth, spitting at the soldier, "A Meta-Human is still human."

The soldier shook his head, "No, Captain. Meta-Humans are monsters. Monsters don't have rights."

\------

Singh sat at the window, watching as Barry yelled at no one in particular. They had strapped him to that damned table three hours ago and withing those three hours, David Singh had seen and witnessed the following:

1\. A scientist drew blood from Barry's arm. They didn't bother with anesthetics and left the needle attached to an I.V. bag that was hooked to a pole next to the table. Barry hadn't said anything, besides asking where he was and what General Eiling wanted with him this time. The "this time" part made Singh perk up- obviously, Barry had experience. If David was able to get Barry to open up about this other incident with General Eiling, they may have a case to use against him in court, considering Barry's account would be a firsthand, eye-witness testimony.

2\. Another scientist came in and started taking notes- blood pressure, vitals, biological systems and neurology. There were wires protruding from his head and at one point, they pressed on Barry's bladder so hard he accidentally pissed himself. They drew on his skin with thick black markers, they shoved thermometers in every orifice they could and then they unstrapped him from their table, none too kindly forcing him over to what looked like a modified, overly large hamster wheel.

Singh watched as they strapped Barry into this machine, gears and mechanisms exposed alongside wires strapped to his person. He knew why they were having him run- he was the Flash. They wanted to see how fast he could go, see if he could break barriers; the yellow lightning should have been the first clue to Singh about how fast Barry actually was. It amazed Singh that Barry was able to keep something like this from the precinct for so long.

He watched Barry run until he was but a blur, practically non-existent, and then just like he had started, he abruptly stopped, throwing a bolt of yellow lightning across the room.

Lightning. Across the room.

"Oh, sweet Jesus..." Singh trailed as he watched Barry rip the electrodes from his person, gasping with each step as he tried to run for the door. His movements were just as fast, albeit slightly sluggish as he exerted his energy. The scientists blocked his every path, shooting and throwing things at him to slow him down. He watched Barry twist and turn and dodge and generally go on the defensive until one of them managed to catch him from behind and stab him in the neck with a syringe.

Barry went down like a sack of flour, twitching on the floor and Singh watched as his bladder emptied itself for a second time.

3\. The last hour, after reluctantly cleaning Barry up, they had maneuvered the table so Barry was upright, gasping for breath as he struggled against the velcro strap around his neck. Singh didn't see how that was necessary, and Barry looked almost blue under the ghoulish lighting. Frozen to his spot, Singh watched as they poked and prodded Barry some more, their hands roaming across his body, pinching skin and wandering dangerously low at the waist.

It didn't stop until Barry became a crying mess, his face red and blotchy as he pleaded and begged to be let go.

Those three things, Singh had witnessed and he felt his skin crawling; Were they going to do that to him? No, no they probably weren't- the soldier from earlier had said that Singh was safe. It was Barry they wanted, it was the Flash. Barry was still crying, tears creating tracks on his face as the scientists finally took Barry down from their table, ushering him through the door that Singh was unable to see from the view of the window.

He was craning his neck so far that he hadn't noticed the door open from the corner of his eye, and the two scientists carrying Barry walk inside before dumping him ceremoniously on the floor.

"Allen!" Singh managed, dropping to his knees as Barry smacked against the floor. Singh grabbed his wrist- Barry's pulse was a mile a minute, almost non-existent and his skin was blazing, an inferno emanating from his unconscious form. Barry was paler than usual, his limbs twitching violently. Singh dropped his arm as if it were dynamite.

"Don't worry about him, Captain," a familiar voice drawled, "it's fine."

SIngh glared as the man walked in, "General Eiling. What you're doing here is illegal. Barry Allen is a citizen that you have kidnapped on U.S. soil and-"

Eiling scoffed, "What Mr. Allen is is an asset. His body is now under government jurisdiction and-"

"You kidnapped him!"

Singh could feel his fury rising as Eling ignored him, moving towards Barry as he shook on the floor, gasping as wide eyes darted around the room.

SIngh thought he wasn't looking at anything in particular. The general ceouched down, waving a hand in Barry's face. No response.

 "You know, it's a good thing you managed to squalor in your own filth for so long, Mr. Allen," Eiling said, "made a few jobs much easier. We'll have someone hose you down later."

Singh felt sick to his stomach as Barry pushed himself up. his eyes were a blaze of anger and hatred; Singh didn't remember seeing Barry look at anyone like that at all. 

"F-F-Fuck you, Eiling!" Barry spat a trail of red at him, smirking when it landed in his eye.

 Eiling chuckled, a low deep sound that made Singh want to throw up. Grabbing Barry roughly by the hair, Eiling said, "Don't be so coy, Allen. Want us to go after your friend Bette next?"

Bette? Singh thought she must have been significant to Barry as he started to tear up, voice hoarse as he replied, "You jackass- you killed her. She just wanted to help people and you took that away from her!"

EIling nodded, "Sure, Barry. What about The Arrow? I can definitely have a few men go and grab him. See how hr managed to come back from the dead after five years-"

"NO!"

Singh felt his breath hitch in his throat as Eiling listed off names. Kara and Alex Danvers, sisters from National City; Kara being an alien from Krypton as well as her cousin Superman, a.k.a. Clark Kent, reporter at the Daily Planet in Metropolis. Hank Henshaw, really a Martian named J'onn J'onzz from the planet Mars. John Diggle, Felicity Smoak. A being named Firestorm, Dr. Martin Stein, Jackson Jefferson. Roy Harper, Thea Queen, the Black and White Canaries; Kendra Saunders, a goddess in hididng, a Time Master named Rip Hunter.

The list went on. Barry bargained for each and everyone and ensured their safety. Over and over, he sobbed "No... no... no...." until Singh couldn't understand him anymore.

Eiling gave Barry a smile and a patronizing pat on the cheek, "Good, then we understand each other! Someone will come hose you down and then we'll run some other tests."

Barry wheezed as he tried sitting up once Eiling was gone. His limbs trembled and Singh could see the remnants of fecal matter and the faint stench of urine hung in the air. He didn't say anything, but from Eiling's words, Singh could tell Barry would endure further humiliation.

"Ca-Captain...." Barry trailed, eyes wide as he finally registered there was another human being there, "No, no.... he said he wouldn't.... he said he wouldn't, not after Caitlin-"

Make the kidnapping of Doctor Caitlin Snow another thing to add to the list. Ignoring it, Singh slowly approached his coworker; he looked like a deer in the headlights but with nowhere to run. Breathing slowly, "Barry? Barry, can you hear me?"

Barry nodded, eyes darting towards the door before coming back to rest on him.

The nornally bright blue was dull, sharp as they stared back. They almost reminded Singh of a trapped animal, feral and untamed.

No! No, Barry was not an animal! He was not a monster!

"I'll try to bargain with them!" Barry snapped suddenly, "They can't keep you here, you're a police officer-"

"You work with the police, Barry," Singh reminded him, "That means they have to let you go too."

Barry shook his head, "I can't. I can't go, Captain-"

Singh almost growled, "I am not letting you stay here! As your captain, it is my duty to ensure your safety!"

But Barry refused, instead babbling about evil speedsters who would try and get him killed, Rogues who would just threaten his friends amd family; a number of things Singh didn't understand, but he gleamed that Barry thought it safer for everyone if he stayed put in a government facility.

"But now you at least know," Barry said, "about all the weird things that happen at the precinct, and Joe knows and Eddie knows and now you. You need to promise to keep them safe, just like always. Even though I won't be there anymore."

Before Singh could protest, the door crealed open and he watched with dread as they stripped Barry down to his boxers and blasted him with a large hose. Singh could feel the cool spray of the water as Barry sputtered and shielded his face from the brute force of the jettison. Barry's skin was bright red and raw when they were done.

One of them turned back just before leaving to hold Barry down and wrestle something onto his person before giving Singh a small remote.

"Just press the button in case it tries anything again," was all the scientist said and left.

\-----

It was a shock collar.

Over the next few days, Singh was forced to watch them experiment on Barry. If he didn't cooperate, the scientists forced Singh to press the button on the remote.

He threw up the first time he had to do it, as Barry convulsed on the floor for a few minutes. When the shock had subsided, they rid Barry of his boxers and announced they would run a new series of tests.

Singh was forced to press the button again when Barry screamed, and again as they manhandled him into a chair, restraining him by the wrists and placing a bar between his legs that cuffed his ankles to the floor. Singh swallowed down bile as they ran their "tests"- telling him how good he was being, smacking him, saying, "What would your dear friends think of you now?" and "The only thing you'll ever be fast at again is servicing others, huh, Flash?"

At one point, Eiling had the audacity to "supervise", smirking as he watched Barry's belittlement.

"Just remember not to break it too much," Eiling would remin them as they wrote Barry's bodily reactions on their stupid clipboards, "we still need to analyze the cells."

"Would we get conclusive evidence if we were to perform a surgery?" a scientist suggested, "Studies have shown that it tends to vibrate after too much sexual stimulation."

"Huh," Eiling looked mildly impressed and Singh wanted to throw the stupid remote at his head, "Didn't know he could even have sex. But if you deem it important enough, go ahead."

One of the scientists went to grab Barry's chin when he gnashed his teeth. He drew back hastily, another asking if they had been bitten or hurt.

"I can feel that!" Barry whined, "I can feel!"

"No, Mr. Allen," Eiling leaned over menacingly, "You do not feel. Science does not permit feelings."

Barry's lower lip quivered, "I'm a person. I feel the shocks from the collar. I feel all your men touching me- I'm still able to feel! I-"

_SLAP!_

"I was going to save this for last, but I guess we have no choice now," Eiling grabbed the remote from Singh, pressing the button until Barry finally passed out from the obvious pain he was in.

"STOP!"

Singh didn't realize he yelled until he gound himself running at Barry, unhooking the damn monstrosity around his neck and throwing it across the room. It landed with a clatter in the shadowy corner.

\------

THe next day Singh watched as scientists came in and out, hurling insults and catcalls and writing down Barry's reactions. He had a feeling they weren't really looking into the scientific aspect of their actions, only trying to get a rise out of Barry.

SIngh foind he couldn't really comfort Barry, as he didn't know how. There was no way to relate to such a situation; Barry was quiet, finally heaving a sigh as the door slammed shut for the billionth time.

Singh didn't even know what time it was, or day. They all just sort of blurred together uselessly.

"I didn't mean for this to happen," Barry said, "I just wanted to find the guy who killed my mom."

Singh's heart fell. Before he would have called Barry on a bluff, but now he knew the man in the yellow suit- the Reverse Flash as the media called him- was all too real and all too powerful. And had ruined Barry's life. Why wasn't he in a government facility? Why was he not being dehumanized and tortured to the brink of exhaustion?

"Barry, we're going to get you out-" Singh growled.

"Last time I was here, Eiling took one of my kidneys."

Singh faltered. He didn't know Barry had been here before, that Eiling had kidnapped him before. He knew Barry had disappeared for a while during the weird bombing case last year, but he just thought Joe had simply covered for him while he was out with friends or sick.

He didn't think it was because he was being experimented on against his will.

"THey did similar tests back then too," Barry continued, "I was stuck here for a few weeks."

Singh found his voice trembling as he asked, "H-How did you get out?"

Barry was silent, and Singh caught tears at the corners of Barry's eyes as he cast his gaze to the floor.

"Cold makes me slower," Barry explained, "it interferrs with my molecular structure and immobilizes me. When that happened, I did the only thing I could think of doing."

SIngh didn't want to know the answer. A person did anything when they were desperate, and even without all the details, that's what Barry was in the story.

He was desperate even now.

"Barry?" Singh dared when Barry began to cry, head hanging in shame as his shoulders shook. His hands had started vibrating, becoming a pale blur against the cold floor.

"They did everything they could to me," Barry sobbed, "so I did the one thing they knew I would never do."

Singh had a feeling he knew what that thing was.

"I tried to kill myself."

Singh shuddered, the shock evident on his face as Barry broke down, his wailing echoing in the dark, empty cell.

Singh prayed someone would come for them soon.

**Author's Note:**

> I just really wanted Singh to find out that Barry was the Flash because I feel like he is the only person at this point who does not know.


End file.
